The Germans have two words for cake: “Kuchen” and “Torte”. The “Kuchen” is a one-layer cake. A “Torte” is much more refined and has several layers. “Torten” is where a Konditorei begins to shine.

Konditorei Wölfl has cakes and “Torten” for takeaway and also serves coffee and has a few seats. But the place isn’t a place you will feel invited to sit down for a while. Most people I know buy lots of pieces of “Torte” and eat them at home.

They are closed on Sunday but it is only him and her running the small place with not enough profit to hire an extra person. So because in Germany the general forgiveness for eating a cake or even more so a “Torte” is only valid on Sundays you have to be brave to go there. But it’s worth it.

I shop there for some time, then stop because I feel some of the Torten are too old-school (rum and other grandma alcohol tastes), come back again after a time because some of the “Torten” are simply the best in town and taste so homemade, stay away again after a while… this is the way things have been going for the last 20 years or so.

Be prepared to queue up until everybody has made up their mind and has asked for the details of the layers of the Torten. As soon as it’s your turn, you will realise that this is way more complex than just buying a cake.